We are currently preparing for the champions trophy tournament which is being held in may in Germany. The team was selected at the conclusion of the Australian Hockey League and the only new face in the team is Wendy Beatty, formally Wendy Alcorn. Wendy has come back into the midfield to push for selection in the Beijing Olympic team. The team is currently looking in good form and we have been training hard as a team in Perth. We are full time which enables us to commit to a professional program to get the best possible preparation for Beijing. We are doing six hockey specific hockey sessions a week, two weights and strength training sessions a week, a conditioning session in the heat chamber, yoga, and our various meetings to analyse opposition and work out our team strategies. We have settled into a weekly program and are enjoying the challenges we face in an Olympic year.
 
Unfortunately we have had a small spate of injuries including myself with a hamstring strain, but our physio Fiona is working overtime to combat the injuries and keep everyone on the training track. I feel doing ice baths at the conclusion of each training session is great for our bodies to recover from the intense sessions and I find them very beneficial as I always feel fresh in the legs afterwards. After Fridays session we head to Cottesloe Beach for a beach recovery session which is always a barrel of laughs as we are not really water loving girls and therefore plenty of screaming is heard when the big waves come crashing in. I feel it ends up being more of a work out then a recovery as I end up doing sprints to get out of the surf to avoid being dumped by the waves. There is always one cheeky girl throwing seaweed at the others or ducking under the water to grab the leg of the others and try to scare them into thinking there is something lurking in the shallows!!!!!!!
 
There is some excitement building in the camp as we depart for Germany next Wednesday to play in the champion’s trophy and we always enjoy going away on tour with each other. It’s always lovely to visit Europe and Germany in particular. Hopefully the weather will be good but more importantly the hockey will be even better. I will be keeping you up to date with an on tour diary of our daily happenings, so stay tuned..................